Blog archive
May 2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Featured Author: Val McDermid
By Ms VykPosted: 08/24/2020
International best seller Val McDermid is a renowned author with over 32 books under her pen. She has won several awards and is described as “Britain’s reigning Queen of Crime.” Her books mostly fall into four series, with most helmed by female lead detectives. There are standalone books as well as nonfiction books about forensics. She is, to say the least, a prolific writer who knows the dark and smarmy side of human nature.
I’ve gotten hooked on the Carol Jordan/Tony Hill book series. She’s the lead detective and he’s the psychological profiler, and both are part of an elite “murder squad” of a police department in South Yorkshire, England. I have zipped through THE RETRIBUTION, CROSS AND BURN, SPLINTER THE SILENCE AND INSIDIOUS INTENT in less than 14 days. They are that compulsively readable and hard to put down. Yes, I’ve lost sleep reading deep into the night. While I did not start at the beginning of the series it was easy enough to “catch up” with the main characters and background references.
What makes reading this author so addictive? First, her excellent writing style. McDermid knows how to turn a phrase. Her vocabulary is refreshingly extensive. She is elegantly crisp with her prose and she does not clutter the page with needless and endless exposition.
Secondly, her complex characters come alive on the page. Her team is comprised of colleagues with individual quirks and conflicts, emotional depth and intelligence, tangled relationships and personalities that hold your interest. They are compassionate about the victims of the hideous crimes they investigate. Consequently, you, as a reader, are drawn in to care about the team and what happens to and with them during the course of each book.
Thirdly, the murder plots are intricate as well as atrocious. They are not only violent but also viciously disturbing and demented. The murderers themselves are deranged yet cunning and self-righteous with their points of view. The storylines veer from stalking, internet trolling to arsonists to wedding crashers with more than a little hint of feminism thrown in for good measure.
A plethora of crime, mystery, thriller and suspense books are out there to choose from. The genre is jam packed. But if you’re looking for taut, smart, riveting, edge-of-your seat story telling you won’t go wrong choosing a Val McDermid novel. But be warned: you will undoubtedly lose some sleep.
Ms. Vyk